Though the day was drenched with rain, no downpour could stop the reopening of a community institution in Midvale.

Saturday, June 11, marked the grand reopening for the Tyler Library, where festivities went on all day, starting with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

“We wanted to have a party to celebrate the community and invite everyone to come back to the library,” Sarah Wegener, library manager, said.

The day of activities included the ribbon cutting ceremony, a petting zoo, snow cones and cookies, visits from Elsa and Anna from “Frozen” and a performance by a dance group from the Royal Academy.

Wegener said she was ecstatic not only with the amount of people who came to the grand reopening but also with the general attendance since the soft opening.

“It was fabulous. I was delighted with all the people who came out and it was so wonderful to see all our patrons come back and enjoy the library and reconnect with all the people I’ve missed for the past three months,” Wegener said.

The library closed at the beginning of March to install extensive upgrades to the building. Most notable were the improvements to the air conditioning system, which had been around since the library originally opened in 1967.

While Tyler Library was closed, other features also received facelifts. New LED lights were installed, along with a new community conference room with seating available for 10, a new bike rack and a garden space in the back with a few benches, where the ribbon cutting ceremony took place.

With the party and the festivities, Wegener said their goal was to let people know that the library is back.

“We have a lot to offer everyone,” Wegener said.

Located at 8041 South Wood Street, Tyler Library is surrounded by a suburban neighborhood. It has become, Wegener said, an essential part of the community.

“It’s like a daily part of people’s lives. With us gone, people who would just walk over here every day have to either get in a car or a bus or ride their bike to somewhere that was far away,” Wegener said. “We’re small enough and in the neighborhood enough that we know our patrons, and I think a lot of them really missed having that connection.”

In their press release for the event, Wegener said that “community is the heart of Tyler Library,” and their “vision is to provide a free, safe public place where everyone is respected, accepted, inspired and informed.”

The new air conditioning system is more energy-efficient, so the occasion was marked by green decorations including balloons, ribbons and green paper where kids could write down why they love their library.

“The library has always been green. If you think about ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,’ then libraries are the ultimate model of that, because instead of everyone buying the same book, everybody just uses the same book,” Wegener said.

To find out more about Tyler Library events and services, go to slcolibrary.org. λ